Question

Which method do we employ to separate different fractions in the petroleum industry?

Answer 1

Fraction Distillation:

• Oil refineries employ fractional distillation to divide crude oil into several, more usable hydrocarbon products depending on their respective molecular weights in a distillation tower.
• Since it conducts the first rough separation of the various fuels, this is the first stage in the processing of crude oil and is regarded as the principal separation process.
• Fractions are the many components that are dispersed throughout this procedure.
• Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and bitumen are among the fractions that are sorted out.
• Fractional distillation makes it possible to produce a variety of valuable goods from crude oil, yet doing so has a negative impact on the environment.

Process:

• Fractional distillation is a very straightforward procedure that is effective in separating all the many, intricate parts of crude oil.
• Crude oil is heated to cause it to vaporize before being delivered to the base of a distillation tower.
• Following that, the vapor rises through the vertical column.
• The temperature drops as the gases ascend through the tower.
• Various hydrocarbons start to condense and run off at various rates as the temperature drops.
• Hydrocarbon molecules with an equivalent amount of carbon atoms are present in each fraction that condenses off at a particular level.
• These boiling points "cuts" enable the separation of several hydrocarbons in a single step.
• The separation is made possible by the cooling combined with the tower's height.
• After this first rough refining, specific fuels may go through more refinement to get rid of impurities or undesired elements, or to fracture the fuel to raise its quality.

Final Answer:

Factor distillation is the method to separate different fractions in the petroleum industry